Office ‘Politics’

When political discussions are rife it’s hard to avoid them, as you’ll hear it on the office radio, see it on social media, and will naturally be drawn to comment. Whereas you may embrace healthy political discussions in your play time, in work time it can be a dangerous subject!

When it comes to office ‘politics’ should you go there?! No one wants hostility in the work place, and with this in mind it may be wise to steer away from being drawn into debates. Consider how and when you share your views with our five thoughts for the day, and make sure you have a healthy working relationship with your colleagues.

Play nice

If you are disclosing your political allegiance you might want to be sure you aren’t alienating colleagues or insulting their beliefs. Not everyone is as open, and traditionally your political allegiance was a closely guarded secret, so not always do people want to disclose their views.

Agree the playing field

There is nothing wrong with a healthy discussion and broadening your horizons but you have to be able to take it. Often in small teams you will agree that you want to share your views and then agree to disagree, but in a larger office it is not always possible to gauge everyone’s reaction. Always be cautious that the quiet one may not be happy and could be on their way to HR citing issues of discrimination.

When it’s more than ‘banter’

The word ‘banter’ or ‘bants’ is used as a get out in many discussions, a killer line can be thrown closely followed by the phrase ‘aw it’s just banter’. This is not always ok as often banter can end up offending someone, so if you think you’re close to the wire maybe saying nothing is the best way!

Bigger Picture

Once the dust has settled from an election or vote there’ll be other issues to debate in the office like your opinion of lunch choices, music played or whether the AC should go on. So ask yourself is it worth creating a divide when you probably won’t be able to influence people’s choices and by next week there will be a fresh debate in the office!

Out of hours

While out of hours your views are your own remember your colleagues, and potentially your boss, can also see your social media feeds. So if you’re stirring up political debate online it could leak into the office, which ultimately could cause your management concern. Reflect on where this will leave you and whether you want to share your true beliefs on Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn.

If office politics are getting you down maybe it’s time to consider a move, get in touch for a bespoke consultation with one of our specialist team.